San Ramon officer jailed in drug unit scandal

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY San Ramon officer linked to alleged thefts

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 4, 2011

(05-04) 18:57 PDT SAN RAMON --

A San Ramon police officer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of five felonies after his department linked him to an evolving probe into the theft of confiscated drugs and other alleged criminal activity in a state-led narcotics unit.

Louis Lombardi, 38, of Discovery Bay - who worked within the multiagency drug unit - was booked on suspicion of grand theft, possession of stolen property, possession of an illegal assault rifle, conspiracy and being an accessory to a crime.

San Ramon police officials, who investigated the case, would not elaborate on the allegations against Lombardi, who was being held at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez in lieu of $760,000 bail. Efforts to reach an attorney for Lombardi were unsuccessful.

Lombardi is the third police officer arrested in connection with the Central Contra Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team, also known as CNET. He worked for four years under unit cmdr. Norman Wielsch, who has been charged with taking drugs from evidence lockers and passing them on to a Concord private detective, who would allegedly locate buyers.

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"I've known him for many years. It's a sad day for us, but we are going to get past this," said Scott Holder, the San Ramon police chief and the chairman of the anti-narcotics unit, at an afternoon news conference. "Our investigation will continue until we put this to rest."

Lombardi was arrested when he showed up for work at 9 a.m. at San Ramon police headquarters. Officers searched his home in Discovery Bay, but would not reveal what they found.

In addition to his dealings with Wielsch, Lombardi also had contact with the Concord private investigator, Christopher Butler, but investigators did not elaborate.

Prosecutors believe Butler, 49, used attractive female decoys in a bid to get male targets of his firm arrested for drunken driving - arrests that would hurt the men in divorce and child-custody cases.

Butler was arrested Feb. 16 as part of an investigation into Wielsch, 50, who is a close friend and was a colleague when the two men worked for Antioch's police force. Both men have pleaded not guilty to drug and theft charges.

According to prosecutors, Wielsch pilfered several pounds of seized marijuana and methamphetamine, dozens of bottles of anabolic steroids and hundreds of prescription pills.

Butler and a former Contra Costa County deputy sheriff, 47-year-old Stephen Tanabe, have pleaded not guilty to charges that they conspired to frame men for drunken-driving arrests.